Hidden Feelings
by nintendosegasonyguy
Summary: This is a crisis Aeris couldn't have expected. Leo has suddenly saved her life. She starts questioning everything about him, and everything about herself...   Written not by me, but by Daiskida. I have his full permission to re-post the story here.
1. Disclaimer

Disclaimer: This is the rare, lost VG Cats fanfic "Hidden Feelings", written by _!Solidusk2_, aka _!SolidusTF_, aka _Kanase._ He has since made a new account by the name of _Daiskida_. As far as I know, most of his old deviations are gone, but fortunately some of his writings managed to survive, and I present them for you here today. It's a shame, because when I first read this story, I absolutely loved it. I found this story by pure luck looking through someone's Favorites section on Deviant Art. Chapter 5 is unfortunately missing (Daiskida had his friend write it and post it on his own channel; the friend apparently got rid of it, or something), but I plan on recreating it entirely. I have taken the liberty of copying all the chapters and editing them, revising grammar, changing some few minor details, and adding a bit more context and description. Of course, I have Daiskida's full permission to edit, revise, and repost this. I still keep everything of his in tact, but you know what I mean. The result is what I do consider to be a far superior/stronger story. I know that he is very proud of what I've done with it. I'm posting it here on DA and so that everyone may enjoy them. So just to make clear, Copyright Scott Ramsoomair for the VGC characters and Copyright Daiskida for the original fanfic idea, story, outline, etc. If you have read it though and you know where I can find the original Ch.5, please let me know. Other than that, please enjoy a story I bet you never knew existed. 


	2. Chapter 1: A Sudden Hero

Hidden Feelings

by !SolidusTF

Edited by NintendoSegaSonyGuy

A female cat with a pink and white fur design was walking down an irrelevantly named street. She was dressed in a dark pink sweater with a pink jacket unzipped over it. The casual outfit was complimented by her dark blue jeans. Her name was Aeris and she was really pissed. This was just one of _those_ days.

One, she overslept and was late to get a game she had wanted to buy for a while. Two, when she got to the store, they told her that somebody else already took the game she ordered and there were no more copies left. Finally, and if that wasn't enough trouble for her, when she came out of the store it started to rain like cats and dogs, _and she left her umbrella home._ Walking trough the city very wet and angry, she pondered on how she was going to let her stress out. She could play some shooter games online, or beat the snot out of her idiot friend for no reason, or both. She was so lost in her thoughts that at first she didn't notice that somebody was following her. Several people, actually. Acting casual, she took a left and strolled right into an alley. There was only a great brick wall to stare indifferently back at her.

"Damn!" She cursed under her breath. Turning around, she saw a gang of five dogs that were blocking her way out. They were all large and dangerous looking; a Doberman, who was the smallest one, came closer to Aeris and grinned wickedly, making her shake a little.

"Hey, guys. Look what we got here. A cute lil' kitty-cat." The others laughed. Aeris was now absolutely terrified. Of course, she was an independent woman and could fend for herself, but she only ever fought with someone like Leo, and he never hit back. These guys, on the other hand, were armed and they looked like they would hurt her back if she tried anything. Not to mention, there were five of them, and one of her. She was outnumbered and outmatched by a ton.

"Wah-what do you want from m-me?" She asked in a shaky, meek voice. The Doberman glared at her again and smiled even more.

"Don't worry, kitty. My friends and me are gonna have some fun with you, that's all." He laughed and his friends laughed with him. Now Aeris' worst fears came alive; these guys were going to rape her and then most likely kill her.

"Please…lea-leave me alone…don't hurt me…" She closed her eyes with some tears forming in them. The Doberman laughed again and pulled out his knife and started coming closer to her.

"Quiet, girl…it will be over soon." He backed her into a wall and was ready to stab at her with the knife, when suddenly all of them heard a voice from outside the alley.

"I think when a girl asks you to leave her alone, you better do so."

The dog's turned to see who was talking to them. Aeris tried to look over their backs and to see who the newcomer was. She could just barely, and when she found out whom it was, her eyes went wide. She would've expected Pants Man, or Ternaldo, or hell even _anyone else in the world_, but not _him_. At the alley's entrance there stood a grey cat dressed in a long black trench coat Aeris had never seen him in before and black glasses on his eyes. A blue collar with a bell on it dangled from his neck.

Aeris knew that it was Leo Leonardo the Third, or just 'Leo' to his friends. Aeris never could stand him for being an absolute retard, and now wasn't any different at all, despite how foolishly confident he seemed. The dogs stared icily at him and snarled.

"What did you say, _punk?_" asked one of the Doberman's larger friends.

Leo smiled; Aeris looked at him, confused and terrified. She screamed in her mind.

"_What is this idiot doing here? Is he tired of living! He's going to get himself killed! These guys are gonna rip him to shreds! GET OUT YOU MORON! RUN!"_

"I said that if she asked you to leave her alone, then you should leave her alone. Don't tell me you are THAT stupid to understand normal English, or do I have to spell it out for you morons?" He chuckled at his own joke and took off his glasses, clipping them onto his coat collar. The bell jingled at his movement. "So are you gonna leave her alone, or must I _make_ you leave her alone?"

The Doberman laughed again, and looked at Leo like he was some kind of pesky fly.

"Very funny, fleabag, but the one who's gonna leave is you…_in pieces!_ Get him!" Two dogs ran at Leo. One had a bat in hiss hand and the other had a chain. The one with the bat swung it as the opening move, but Leo managed to duck and kick him in the stomach, sending the dog flying into the side of a garbage-filled trashcan. The second dog barked in anger and surprise as he swung his chain, trying to hit Leo on the head. He caught the chain, threw the dog over his shoulder, and sent him flying onto the ground, near his fallen friend. They were out like Christmas lights in June.

Aeris was awestruck as she witnessed her idiot best friend kicking all these stupid dogs' asses single-handedly. She couldn't believe that this was the same Leo she knew. How long had he been hiding this side of himself from her?

Leo dropped the chain and dusted himself off. He looked at the dog with a bored look on his face.

"Are ya gonna leave her now?"

The Doberman was furious. His other two lackeys drew their weapons, prepared to advance and throw their hats into the ring, but he held his arm out, to let them know that their help wouldn't be necessary. This little bout was between him and this bastard. The Doberman rushed at him with his knife ready.

"I guess not," Leo murmured. He jumped aside and tried to hit the Doberman in the back, but the canine dodged and kicked at Leo. He blocked it with his left hand, but then he felt the sharp stab of a knife in his right shoulder, causing him to yowl and stop for a second. The Doberman took this opportunity and twisted the knife, grinning sadistically as he did so. Leo hissed and instantaneously threw the dog's upraised foot down, freeing his hand. He swung hard, breaking the dog's nose with a loud, resounding _CRACK! _The Doberman fell to the ground and screamed, clutching at his face.

"MY NOSE! HE BROKE MY FREAKIN' NOSE!" Howling in pain, he rushed to his feet, backing away from Leo, looking scared as a spooked puppy. The other two dogs just dropped they're weapons and ran off, with the Doberman following them with his tail tucked between his legs. Leo pulled out the knife and hissed a little; he looked at his wound and sighed. It was pretty deep, and God knows if the blade was sanitized beforehand or not…He might to get a shot.

"Just great. I had just bought this coat…" He shook his head, causing beads of sweat glistened into his fur to fly around a bit. Without flinching, he walked to where Aeris had been cornered and kneeled, looking into her sky-blue eyes. "Hey, are you okay?"

Aeris was still in shock. She looked up into Leo's emerald green eyes, and without thinking hugged him tightly.

Leo's eyes widened in surprise, and then relaxed. "Heh…I'll take that as a yes, then." He smiled and hugged her back. The two of them slowly stood up.

Just then, Aeris snapped out of…whatever the hell she had just been doing, jumped away from Leo, and glanced down at her hands.

"_Wha…. What did I just do? Did I hug him? Why did I do that? Oh no, he's looking right at me! Uh, okay, Aeris! Calm down, calm down..."_

"Hey Aeris, are ya all right?" He asked again. She looked at him with her usual sour face.

"I'm fine, pea-brain," she said caustically. "And I do believe I didn't ask for your help."

Leo gaped at her, dumbfounded by what she had just said. Just a few seconds ago, a bunch of assholes had cornered her into an alley and were about to rape her and/or kill her, and here she is acting like she could've handled it? She had some nerve, Leo could see that much, which he could guess he was lucky for; apparently, the experience hadn't shaken her up too bad.

"Anyway, what were you doing out here? I thought you were home." Aeris crossed her arms at him.

Leo blinked, then reached into his coat pocket.

"Well, you see… I remembered you had an order for your game today, but you were sleeping late, and I didn't want to disturb you from it, so I decided to go and pick it up for ya." He pulled out the game and gave it to Aeris. She looked at the case art, realized it was in fact the game had ordered, then looked back at him.

"_He…he went to go pick it up for me, and he didn't want to wake me up and bother me about it. That was really sweet of him… Huh, maybe I was wrong about him being a total loser after all…WAIT! What am I thinking? It's because of this moron I almost got killed! It has to be! It's his entire fault…. or maybe it isn't his fault! Gah, I don't fucking know!"_

She was so lost in her thoughts once again that she didn't notice Leo waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hey, earth to Aeris, come in, please…" He was starting to get a little anxious.

She snapped out of it and looked at him with a very venomous look. "What do you want, flee brain?" Leo sighed again, and looked into her eyes. Aeris felt her cheeks get a little warm.

"Well, you zoned out again and I was beginning to get worried that you have gone into a state of shock, that's all." He looked around at the alley they were still situated in. "If you think you need it, we can go to a doctor or something and have him make sure you're okay."

"_He's worried for me? That's really nice of him…. and boy do his eyes…STOP! What am I thinking, goddamn it!"_

She looked at Leo's shoulder and realized how badly injured it was.

"Even if _I_ didn't need to go a hospital, _you_ still do. Take a look at your shoulder. In case you forgot, it has a giant wound in it."

Leo stared down at it and chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose we do. Hope I don't get tetanus from this…" They started walking out of the alley.

"With your luck, Leo, you'd probably get herpes or aids."

Leo laughed a bit harder, and Aeris found herself giggling too. She smiled at his profile, but after a few seconds, she caught herself and looked the other way, still walking forward alongside him.

"Where did ya learn to fight like that, pickle brain?" She asked after a moment's silence. She was still really stunned that Leo even knew how to fight so well. Taking on five dogs at once…_and winning_, goddam!

Leo shrugged. "It's amazing what you can learn from fighting games, these days. I was almost tempted to imitate the Hadouken, I swear…" He chuckled. Aeris couldn't help it and laughed with him again. Leo looked over at her and smiled.

"You know, you're cute when you laugh like that." Aeris stopped laughing and looked at him, once again surprised to the point of speechlessness.

"_I look cute when I laugh…Wow…Nobody has ever said that to me before…. But I must admit that was really funny…DAMN! STOP IT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?"_

"Whatever, idiot…. But if you tell anyone about what happened today, then I'm going to strangle you with a controller cable." She shoved her fist in his face, just to make sure he got it. He chuckled again and smiled. Despite the extreme lack of credit he deserved, he was used to her acting like this, and he didn't mind. It was just cute from her.

"Don't worry, Aeris. I won't tell anyone about this." He winked to her, and she felt her cheeks get warm again.

"_What's wrong with me? Why are my cheeks warm?"_

**Here's !SolidusTF's original author commentary for this first chapter: **

_**Well, found my old fan fic. It was actually my 1st Fan fic, withc was a VGcats related. Thoes who don' know what VGCats is. Well here's a link for you all**__****_

_**Characters - Scott**__**  
><strong>__**Story - me**_


	3. Chapter 2: Thoughts and Voices

Chapter 2: Thoughts and Voices 

The following morning, Aeris woke up. She had had the most interesting dream...

There she was, trapped in a little cage, all by herself. It was like she was watching a scene from a movie; she was the camera, a character in itself that focused on this particular scene. The room around the caged Aeris was dingy and dark. Looking around, she saw that mold was clearly visible among walls, and the cold grey floor was damp with water from the leaky ceiling. It was about this time when Aeris realized how weak and starved her other version looked, as if someone had drained her of all her energy. A little light was hanging just outside the front of her cage, casting a dim and vacuous light. The cageling walked up to it, her fingers poking out of the bars. A sharp crack scared her, and she jumped back. The snap was from two fingers.

There was suddenly two of Aeris in the room; that much was clear. Her other self was outside the cage, eyeing the cageling with malice. Intuitively, she knew that the clone was evil, but at the same time, there was a penultimate sense of closeness and fondness for her that she felt. Just seeing her made her feel like bursting into tears. The evil clone yelled at the cageling, yet Aeris couldn't make out any words. Helplessly, the cageling yelled back, and they bickered for what seemed to be hours. Incomprehensible words were thrown back and forth with no sense of direction or meaning. The perspective was slowly backing up and fading to black, until the room was gone.

When Aeris woke up, she pondered upon whether this related at all to what had happened yesterday.

It was the oddest thing to be saved by Leo, of all people. The same cat that had once spent all of her money buying a box of rocks, thinking it was a gaming system. The same idiot boy who had dressed up as "L" for Halloween in only a regular white T-shirt and blue jeans. The same retard that had one pretended he was Luigi from Luigi's Mansion and accidently vacuumed up her pants, and had done a whole bunch of other stupid shit over the years.

But all that aside, there was something else bothering her: she couldn't understand why he saved her. Yes, they had been friends since they were little kids, but after the way she always treated him, physically hurt him, yelled at him, and even framed him for her own mischief...Any other person would've just spitted on her and left her with the thugs. But not Leo, oh no. He risked his own safety for her to save her life. Aeris just couldn't find any reason for this, but there had to be one.

_"Maybe he did it because he wants some respect from me? Yeah, that has to be it…like he really just wants to get on my good side so that I won't tease him or hurt him as much anymore. He didn't even say a thing about it, though…Maybe it's something else entirely…But what?"_

Just then, Aeris heard her stomach grumble. "Damn, I'll think about dog brain later. Right now, I better gets some breakfast."

She got up out of bed and quickly dressed herself. After that, she walked through their apartment, only for a certain scent wafting through the air to catch her attention. It smelled like…eggs and bacon? Puzzled, she continued and entered the kitchen. Her gaze was drawn to the table, and she was surprised to find that there were two big plates with generous portions of omelets and bacon on them.

"Strange…" she murmured aloud. Pantsman and Krug were out of town. So who made the breakfast? She then turned to the left and bumped into someone. She stepped back and saw that it was Leo, who apparently had been drinking something because a liquid of some sort was spilled all over the front of his shirt.

"Hey, watch where you're…!" Aeris started, but she couldn't finish the sentence. Her eyes swiped over Leo several times. He was dressed in his usual blue pants, but instead of his blue sweater he had on a blue T-shirt that was just a bit too small for him. It clung tightly to his chest, showing his muscles. The only think that sort of ruined the symmetry was the giant bandage on his right shoulder; a great reminder of the ordeal that had to do at the hospital yesterday. But Aeris couldn't stop looking at his torso. She didn't even notice that it was wet.

_"Wow….Was he always so good looking? And when the hell did he get muscles?"_ She felt her cheeks get warm again.

"Aw, crap. This is one of my favorite shirts… Eh? Aeris, you okay?" Leo's voice snapped her out of her thoughts; she then turned around, blushing madly.

_"What…What happened to me? Was I just starin' at him like…? Why do I keep doing that?" _She then felt his hand on her shoulder; she turned around and looked at him.

"Aeris, are you okay?" She nodded slowly, gazing down at the floor with uncertainty.

"Yeah, I'm okay…. Just still sleepy, that's all." Leo raised an eyebrow at her, but he didn't say anything.

"Did you make breakfast?" She turned around (now sure that her cheeks were their usual color) and motioned toward the table. Leo nodded.

"Yep, I made it. I was actually about to go get you, but you sort of beat me to it. Since Scott and Krug aren't here, I thought I'd whip up some breakfast for you and me. Sorta the least I can do, after yesterday." He rubbed the back of his neck and grinned cheekily. Aeris felt her heart beat faster by the minute, all because of that smile. She turned away and crossed her arms.

"If you made food, then I'm not eating it!" She walked to the fridge and pulled out a can of Coke. She opened it, causing an audible fizzing sound to emanate throughout the kitchen, and took a sip.

"Why?" Leo asked, a little hurt.

"Because _you_ made it, idiot! There's hardly a time I can remember when you've cooked something and it hasn't been a disaster! The eggs and bacon you made today are bound to be disgusting, or even poisoned. Personally, I think I've had enough encounters with death lately."

"Aw, c'mon…don't be such a meanie. I tried it myself, and it was fine. Besides, it's not like I haven't seen you cook breakfast a million times before. I've more or less learned what to do."

"Ha! You? Learn how to do something? Right…" She smirked at him, but he wasn't amused. He looked extremely hurt. Aeris, realizing what she had done, sighed. "Fine, I'll try it, but if I get sick or poisoned, I'm gonna shove this can down you're throat…" She sat at the table and pulled the plate to herself. Leo sat beside her and pulled up the other plate to himself. Aeris looked at him, then at the plate, then back at him.

"What happened to your shirt?" She asked, this time undistracted by his muscles.

Leo looked down at his shirt, then he chuckled. "Um…when you bumped into me, I had been drinking some Coke. It kinda spilled."

"Oh, really? Did any get on me?" She started investigating her own shirt and sleeves.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "No, not that I can see."

"Okay, good. So anyway, back to the moment of truth." She slowly picked up a piece of bacon and took a meager bite.

"Hey…this is pretty good," she said, after chewing it for a moment. She took another, bigger bite.

"Thank you," Leo said, smiling. He started his meal as well.

While eating, Aeris' mind was in a totally different place, as it had been consistently since yesterday.

_"What is happening to me? Why did I stare at him and why did my heart beat so much? Maybe I'm sick or something…"_

After finishing their food, Aeris got up and stepped over to the sink to dump her dishes, but she suddenly tripped over the chair leg and almost fell. The dishes flew up in the air and landed with a crash right in the sink. Leo, acting fast, leapt out of his chair and caught her in the nick of time. Their faces were just inches apart.

"Christ, Aeris! Please be careful!"

Aeris couldn't stop looking into his eyes. _"His eyes…They are so beautiful…" _Her cheeks went ablaze and her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. Quickly coming back to her senses, she suddenly felt Leo's arms hugging her waist.

"HEY! LEMME GO YA FRICKIN' JERK!" She started struggling. Leo let her go immediately, looking extremely jarred. He was just trying to help…

"Heh…Sorry about that. I just wanted to help, that's all…" Aeris didn't answer. She scurried out of the kitchen off to her room. Leo watched her go, and he could hear the slam of her bedroom door.

"Jeez, what's her problem?" Leo asked himself. "I was just trying to be nice…I mean, would she have rather fallen over? Huh. Maybe she has some big secret she doesn't want me to figure out? Or maybe she's on her period? Women…" He looked over at the sink, where the frying pan, plates, utensils, and everything else were. After surveying it for a second, he found that none of the dishes were broken. He started to wash them all and put them in the wash, one by one.

Aeris was panting heavily. Her whole body was leaned up against the bedroom door, as if she were hanging onto it for dear life. Ever so gingerly, she brought up a shaky hand and touched her cheek. It was still hot.

"What is wrong with me…?"

She walked across her small room littered with video games and designs along the walls to the mirror, looking in at her reflection. She nearly screamed when she found that there was a dark crimson hue around her cheeks.

"_I'm… I'm blushing? I've never blushed before in my life; at least, I don't think I have…oh, what did that goddamn jerk _do_ to me…"_

She suddenly felt guilt in her heart after thinking of Leo that way. _"No…he's not an idiot. I shouldn't be so…uh, what…What is happening with me?"_ She fell onto her bed and burst into tears. She buried herself in her pink and purple sheets, waiting for the crying to pass.

"And…done!" Leo said triumphantly, after putting the last little fork into the dishwasher. He grinned amusingly. "Haha…it wasn't so hard, _Aeris_…" He chuckled and exited the kitchen, heading to their side-by-side rooms. He took his shirt off and placed in the laundry basket, just outside their doors. He got an extra shirt from his closet, this one being less of a snug fit, and put it on. He then went back out in the hallway, and gazed at Aeris' door. He knew what he had to do; she was clearly upset about something, and he needed to see if he could help her fix it. Taking a deep breath, he went over to it and lightly tapped it.

The knocking got her attention. She lifted the blankets and pillows off of herself and wiped her tears away. She got up and opened the door for him.

"Aeris, I-"

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?" She screamed at the top of her lungs, causing Leo to back up, alarmed.

"Nothing…it's just…you ran away…and I thought that something was wrong…"

Aeris glared at him for a second before slowing calming down. She sighed.

"Sorry about that…and for the yelling at you…" She was about to close the door, but Leo held out his arm and blocked it.

"That's not enough. Why were you crying?" Aeris' eyes shot open.

_"How? How did he notice…?"_

"I…I wasn't crying…" Leo gave her a sideways glance, playfully mocking her incredulity. He placed his hand against her cheek and wiped away a tear.

"See? You were crying. Why? Was it something I did?"

He then brushed her cheek softly, stroking it. Aeris wanted so badly to nuzzle against his hand. She couldn't help it; she closed her eyes and felt how warm it was.

_"It's so warm…. And so soft…mmhm…N-NO! STOP IT! STOP!"_

She opened her eyes. Leo was still there before her, just as perplexed as ever.

"No. No, I'm just tired, Leo. I'm sorry; I think I stayed up just a little too late last night. I'll go grab some more shut-eye; then I'll be fine." She just wanted to end the conversation as fast as possible.

"Oh…Okay." He dropped his hand. "Well, get some good rest, then. If you need me, I'll be in my room or the living room. You might need to come get me, because I might be listening to music if I don't answer right away." Aeris nodded and slowly closed the door, she then fell on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Why…Why do I keep having weird feelings around that idiot? What's wrong with me?" Suddenly, she heard a voice in her head.

_"Maybe you have feelings for him?" _The voice was velvety and soft.

Aeris shot straight up. "Wh-Who are you?"

_"I'm you, silly…Well, the other you…the warm and nice part of you…"_

"Warm and nice? WARM AND NICE? I'm not warm and nice!"

_"Of course you are. You can try to lock me out, but I'll always be free. All because of your feelings for… Leo Leonardo!"_

Aeris gasped. "I…I DON'T HAVE FEELINGS FOR HIM! HE'S AN IDIOT! HE'S STUPID!" With every said word, she felt another stab to her heart.

_"Stop. Please stop." The voice was starting to sound upset. "You're only hurting yourself and me…You know that you have feelings for him…Why don't want to admit it?"_

"BECAUSE I DON'T! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" She heard a sigh.

_"Fine, suit yourself…But you know that you have feelings for him, and the sooner you admit it, the sooner you'll feel better. I promise you. Maybe you'll find you can't deny the feelings any more yourself when the time comes..."_

The voice disappeared. Aeris looked around her room, snarling. When she was assured that nothing was there, she sighed and lay back down, soon drifting off into sleep.

**Had to edit this one quite a bit. I added _a lot_ to this chapter; must have made it at least twice as long. Hope you enjoyed, and more to come soon.**


	4. Chapter 3: Move Night

Chapter 3: Movie Night

Aeris woke up, and her head felt two sizes to small for her brain. It felt like her head was in a medieval vice of some sort. While rubbing it, she remembered the strange voice in her head that had told her about the feelings she had for Leo. For a moment, Aeris actually thought that it might have been true.

"_Maybe I do have feelings for him…He is quiet and nice…he never did anything bad to me…NO, STOP! Of course he's done bad stuff to me! The Boxorz-o-Roxorz! The making fun of my fanfic! Him being so stupid and annoying all the goddamn time! FORGET ABOUT THAT PRICK! HE'S WORTHLESS! HE'S USELESS!"_

Aeris again felt pain in her heart over pointing fingers at him. She shook her head and looked at the clock at her bedside. The time was…6:14pm? Aeris blinked.

"Fuck," she mumbled aloud. "Have I really been asleep for almost the whole day? Jesus…When the hell did I get up earlier?" Aeris yawned and stood up. She walked out of her room. The hallway's lights were off, so it was dark and a little creepy. No videogame sounds or TV static to be heard of. She turned towards Leo's room; she was about to knock when she saw a note on the door. She read it.

_Dear Aeris, I went to rent us a movie to watch. Also went to the store to get some food and drinks. Be back soon.__With Love, Leo._

"Heh," Aeris chuckled scornfully. "What an idiot. Why would he put it on his door? It's like he expected me to go looking…for…him…" Her scorn quickly turned to realization, and then to more guilt.

She felt like there was an empty hole in her soul. She tried to physically shake the feeling off, but it didn't work. It was a deep-rooted pain in her very psyche. She went to the living room and sat on the couch; turning on the TV, hoping whatever the feeling was would melt away with some mind-numbing cartoon violence, maybe from _Itchy and Scratchy_ or something.

"What is wrong with me? He only went to buy some stuff, like a few hours ago…but why do I feel like it's been forever since I've last seen him…?"

Aeris heard the front door open. She sat up and looked behind her, towards the front door. There she saw Leo, with a grocery bag in one hand and another back with the words _BlockBuster_ on it. He looked a little disconcerted, as if he didn't have the best time shopping.

"Hey, Aeris!" he called, not immediately seeing her. "I'm back."

Without thinking, Aeris glomped him (which is to say, she threw herself at him). They dropped to the floor together; the bags flew up into the air and landed just ahead of them. Aeris hugged him. She laid her head against his soft, comfy chest. His heartbeats were fast-paced and getting faster.

"Eh…" Leo managed to mumble, blushing. Here was his roommate and best friend for years, suddenly on top of him and digging her face into his chest. He couldn't say it didn't feel pleasant, but…this was Aeris. She never did stuff like this.

"Aeris…Can I get up now?" Aeris opened her eyes, and noticed what her actions had caused. She quickly jumped away; her face was a deep crimson.

"Um…Sorry. I…tripped…" She smiled innocently, still blushing. Leo got up and rubbed the nape of his neck, smiling.

"Heh…Right. No worries," he said. Hidden behind his soft gaze was the worst bewilderment and discomfort he had ever felt. He wanted to saw something, since this was the umpteenth time Aeris had done something weird in the space of only a few days, but really, what was there to say? Aeris might just mad at him for asking. He didn't want to upset her again.

Aeris nodded, her eyes darting back and forth nervously.

"_Why…Why did I just fucking tackle and hug HIM…I couldn't have…but he felt so warm and soft…"_

She looked at him again; he seemed to be waiting for her to do or say something. She wanted to do something; anything to break the endless tension. But somehow, her limbs just remained locked, and she couldn't turn away. Leo blinked, patting his hand on her shoulder.

"Aeris, are ya sure you're okay?" She wrenched her limbs away, just to turn around, not to look him in the eye.

"Yeah…I'm…I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? Don't be…don't be an idiot." She gulped nervously, and wanted to walk away from him, but Leo surprised her. He reached down and clasped her hand.

"Well, you've had been acting really weird lately…Ever since I rescued you from those thuggish dogs."

"I told you, you didn't rescue me. I could've taken them on myself." There wasn't an ounce of power of authority in her voice.

"Okay, fine," Leo said, getting slightly irritated. "But that's not my point. You've been crying a lot, you've been screaming over nothing…not to mention you slept almost the whole day…Which I still find odd. What time did you wake up earlier? Well, that doesn't matter. I'm just saying that all this isn't like you…I'm seriously asking you this as a friend who as been with you for years. Is something wrong, Aeris? Please let me help you." Shakily, he reached out and hugged her. Aeris felt her heart beating really fast again.

"You're my best friend; I don't want anything to happen to you…"

She nodded and smiled a little.

"_He…He doesn't want anything to happen to me…He…He still sees me as a friend…. Even after all the bad stuff I do to him…He…he's so wonderful and kind-hearted…"_

"It's just…" Aeris began. Leo broke the hug and looked at her.

"It's just what?" He asked softly.

"You have to understand…It's kind of…I mean you…" Leo waited patiently.

Aeris inhaled a big breath, then slowly released it. "Nevermind. I'm fine, Leo… Please don't worry, okay?"

Leo raised his eyebrow and blinked. "What?"

"Hm? No, I'm just telling you not to-"

"No, not that. Erm…It's just that you surprised me by calling me by my name…" He chuckled. "Usually it's something like flea-brain, or douche-face, or boxorz-o-retards. But my first name is cool too."

Aeris blinked herself. _"He's right…I called him by his name…. I didn't insult him or give him a stupid nick name…"_

She turned around and began walking back towards the living room. "…'Neeways, I think I'm going to go back to watching TV."

"Sure…" Leo breathed quietly. He walked over to where the bags had flown from his hands and picked them up. He walked into the kitchen, whistling the Mario theme.

"How long were you gone, anyway?" Aeris called absentmindedly, while surfing through all the channels, trying to find something halfway decent. "You came in here as if you had a stick up your ass."

"Oh, man…" he called, opening the twelve-pack carton of Dr. Pepper. He hadn't managed to get too much; just some soda, some popcorn, and two movies he thought Aeris might enjoy. "You wouldn't believe what happened. Hold on one sec."

He retrieved two cans of the 'awesome juice', as he liked to call it (Aeris always called Mountain Dew 'Jesus Brew'), and put the rest of it in one of the refrigerator drawers. He left the movies and the pop-corn on the kitchen counter, to be exploited sometime later that night. He exited the kitchen and sat on the couch next to Aeris, handing her a can.

"So two things happened, one at the movie store and the other at the grocery. I go to the BlockBuster first, right? You know, just because it's closer to our house than the grocery store. Anyway, I'm walking through the aisles, looking for any movies that might look somewhat interesting. I rent two, just in case one sucks. I go to the check-out, and I'm just about to get there first when all of a sudden this _really freaking old_ man enters the line and cuts right in front of me. Like he's so old that his flabby face is almost touching the floor, I swear. He's also wearing these really old, dusty suspenders; it was kinda creepy, like he was wearing clothes that somebody else died in. So anyway, I don't say anything, and I figure I'll just let him check his stuff out. Only problem; he has like a million movies! Stacks and stacks of them under both his flabby, disgusting arms. Even the woman at register looked disbelieving. I give her a look, but she just shrugs. So what happened next was absolutely _crazy…_"

Aeris soon stopped really listening to Leo's story, simply because it was boring her. Instead, she found herself just looking at Leo and how colorful he was. He would move his arms around and make all these expressions, being as explicit as he could be, as he told her about his day. Her gaze, however, seemed to keep gravitating towards his blue collar, his neck…and finally, his lips.

"_Well, well, well…Are you gonna still declare that you have feelings for him?"_

"_Hm?"_ Aeris thought. _"__Oh, great; it's you again. Look, I told you before that I don't have feelings for him."_

"_Yeah, sure… Do you think I'm stupid, or something? You hugged him."_

"_I tripped!"_

"_Oh, please…you threw yourself at him. Won't you just admit you like him?"_

"_I said that I don't fucking like and that I just tripped! Now leave me alone, dammit!"_

"…So he gets pulled away in the police car. I tell you, it was one of the weirdest things ever…"

"Hm?" Aeris hummed, just now getting back to reality.

"I was just telling you how the guy at the grocery store got arrested," Leo explained. "It was just weird…I've had quite a really long day."

"Oh, right…" she said, a little surprised. Now she wished she hasn't missed the better half of his story! "Well, you're home now. You can relax."

"Heh, yeah..." Leo said, smiling.

An awkward silence ensued.

"Well, anyway," Leo said brightly. "As I said, I got us some drinks, popcorn, and a few movies. It's getting kinda late." He indicated the clock on the cable box. It read 7:47. "You want to start one of the movies?"

Aeris shrugged. "I guess."

"Okay, great. I'll go make the popcorn." He stood up and went into the kitchen. As he left, Aeris couldn't help but stare at his backside. His jeans seemed to be hugging him a bit more tightly than she had ever noticed before…Aeris found herself blushing again.

"_You like him~!"_ the voice inside her head explained like a song.

"Damnit, I do not!" Aeris said.

"_Yes, you do. Any time you look at him, you end up blushing."_

"Fuck off, already! Jesus!"

"Aeris, who are you talking to?" The girl in question gasped when she looked over and saw Leo with another two sodas in one hand and a big bowl of popcorn in the other, standing just outside the kitchen. She didn't even realize that she had been arguing with her inner voice aloud.

"Um, I, uh…It was the TV!" Aeris said, thinking fast. The last thing she needed was Leo seeing her talking to herself, and thinking that she was crazy. Hell, Aeris was even sure herself if she was going crazy or not.

"The TV?"

"Yeah, totally." She looked over at it. On screen was Spongebob trying to teach Squidward how to blow bubbles.

"Huh, it's been so long since I watched Spongebob. I don't remember them ever swearing," Leo said. "But whatever. So yeah, here's so popcorn and some more drinks when we finished the ones we have." He set them down on the coffee table. He reached into the bowl of popcorn, where apparently he had been keeping the movie.

"You kept the movie in the popcorn bowl?" Aeris said, trying to change the subject.

"Well, yeah. I mean, my hands were kind of full."

"So you put the DVD into the popcorn…You have any idea where the thing has been."

Leo rolled his eyes and smirked. "Well, you know me. I once forgot how to breathe."

Aeris nodded after a second, remembering the whole episode. It happened a long time ago, while they both were just little tiny kittens.

"So, anyway…What movie are we watching?"

"I think it's called Saving Private Ryan. I got it mostly on a whim; it looked relatively interesting." Leo showed her the DVD cover and smiled. Aeris smiled as well.

"Sweet. It's my favs…"

"Really? Cool beans." Leo placed the DVD into their player and changed the TV to the appropriate channel. There was just a big black screen on, but eventually all the trailers and stuff started coming. Aeris picked up the DVD remote and tried to skip through them, but a big white hand appeared in the upper right hand of the screen every time she tried.

"Hey, you know what's bullshit, flea-brain?" Aeris said.

"DVD menus, I know. I've seen the Angry Video Game Nerd before." Leo said.

"Well, fine…if you don't want to play along with the joke…" Leo laughed at her huffing.

At last, the title screen appeared. Aeris pressed play, and the movie began.

After an hour or two, Aeris started to feel really sleepy. She yawned and looked over at Leo drearily.

"Haha, looks like your pretty tired," He said, smirking. Aeris nodded in response. She really wanted to relax and just lay down. She leaned against Leo's chest and snuggled up into him. She didn't know why she did it, but it was something her heart wanted her to do. Leo looked down at her and blushed, but smiled after a second. He started stroking and scratching her neck fur, which sent ecstatic chills up and down her spine. She started purring.

Just then, she heard another voice in her head. This time, it was different; it sounded cold and angry.

"_STOP! STOP SNUGGLING HIM! THIS IS FRIGGIN' LEO YOU'RE SNUGGLING! THE KING OF THE IDIOTS!"_

But Aeris, in her drowsy state, didn't care. She kept snuggling him until she fell asleep. When the movie ended, Aeris was fast asleep. Leo turned the DVD Player and TV off. He slowly lifted her off of him so that he could get off of the couch. She looked so quiet and peaceful. Very carefully, so as not to disturb her slumber, he picked her up and carried her to her room. He placed her on the bed gently, then put a cover over her and brushed her cheek softly with his finger.

"Sweet dreams, Aeris…" He kissed her forehead softly. "Sometimes I forget that cats need 15 or 16 hours of sleep on certain days…" He then got up and exited her room, closing the door behind him.

Aeris shuffled around a bit. She opened her eyes, only mildly aware of the world around her, and was greeted by nothing but darkness. Feeling around, she realized that she was in her bed. She slowly sat up and undressed herself. Now in her underwear, she fell back on her bed, and was instantaneously returned to her dreams once more.

**Daiskida's original author commentary for this chapter:**

**Note: ****More from my old fic. I managed to find all chapters, except the 5th, sinse it was writter by another person an he apperantly deleted it (thanks alot ya nutsack)**


End file.
